Biggles Takes Charge/plot
Preface: A few words about La Sologne W. E. Johns describes some of the geography and history of La Sologne. Chapter 1: Chateau Grandbulon While on leave in Paris, Algy decides to drive to the Chateau Grandbulon in the La Sologne region of France to return the key to the owner or the gamekeeper who was in charge of it. He gets caught in heavy snow but manages to discover the chateau with difficulty. Unfortunately, the gamekeeper, Pierre Sondray, has died. The car lights short out so Algy walks the rest of the way to the chateau, opens the door with the key, lights a fire and prepares to spend the night. Chapter 2: A Fugitive from Fear A slim young boy hurries into the chateau. He's Charles Zarrill. The man who owned the place and who had given the key to Algy was Boris Zarrill, more properly the Grand Duke Boris, heir to the Kingdom of Moldavia and Charles' cousin. Charles believes Boris had probably been assasinated. He himself had been on the run for several days from some men who had been pursuing him from Paris. In desperation, he had come to La Sologne hoping to find news of Boris. Their enemies wanted Boris and him because only they knew the secret of where the crown jewels of Moldavia were. There's someone at the door. Algy sends Charles upstairs to hide while he handles the newcomers. Chapter 3: Algy Makes a Wager Two men at the door force their way in with a skeleton key. Algy had planned to bluff his way out of the encounter but.... One of the men was Serge Prutski, one of Charles' pursuers. The other was Erich von Stalhein! Von Stalhein cannot believe that Algy's presence is a coincidence and they are not on the same case. Algy bets him five thousand francs. He calls Biggles, who, without prompting, confirms Algy's story to von Stalhein. The German admits defeat, pays up and leaves with his partner. Algy offers to help Charles. His next move is to look for Boris at Monte Carlo, his other regular residence. But von Stalhein is taking no chances. He has punctured Algy's tyre, taken his spare and his tyre levers. The chateau's telephone has been cut as well! Chapter 4: A Maquisard Loads His Gun Exiting the chateau by the back door, Algy and Charles enter the forest. They find a track which leads to a cottage. Algy and Charles approach to be confronted by a gamekeeper, Robert, with a gun. Apparently von Stalhein and Prutski had been telling everyone to beware of two criminals in the forest. But Algy convinces Robert that he and Charles are not criminals. It turns out he knows Boris as both were in the same French resistance network. He is guarded about Boris' movements after the war but he offers to help. Together, they find von Stalhein's car, with Algy's spare tyre in it. Algy fixes his tyre and punctures von Stalhein's tyres and heads south with Charles. Algy senses that Robert knows more about Boris than he is prepared to reveal--he seems very curious to know where Algy and Charles are headed next in their search for Boris. Chapter 5: Algy Spoils Some Breakfasts Algy and Charles stop at a hotel in Vierzon for a meal but it turns out von Stalhein is staying there and he and Prutski also enter the dining room. Thinking quickly, Algy asks von Stalhein how his "old friend" Karl Schlegel (the notorious Chief of the Gestapo in that region during the war) is doing. An angry French crowd soon surrounds von Stalhein, giving Algy and Charles the chance to pull out unimpeded. Chapter 6: The Road South Algy and Charles continue south but von Stalhein's men are soon catching up. This time it's two men whom they will later learn are Pindar and Conrad Merthe. Algy dodges them by disabling their car at a level crossing and he and Charles manage to reach Monte Carlo without further interruption. Chapte 7: Monte Carlo Rally Algy calls on an old contact, Joseph of "Jock's Bar" at the Hotel de Paris for information on Boris. The news was that the Grand Duke died in a train accident a few weeks earlier but Joseph doesn't believe it. He adds that Boris had a house, the Villa Clement in Monaco. Algy and Charles make their way to the villa. The door is unlocked. And may be Algy should have been suspicious about this. Needless to say, von Stalhein and Prutski are there. Chapter 8: Hard Words at Villa Clement Prutski gets ready to shoot Charles but Algy puts out the light causing everyone to stumble in the darkness, not wanting to be the first to reveal his position by shooting. And now into the scene steps Biggles and Marcel! Von Stalhein and Prutski are made to leave while everyone gets up to speed with what has been happening. Meanwhile Madame Cavalli, the housekeeper arrives. She identifies Charles by a vaccination scar and brings him a letter from Boris. Chapter 9: Back to La Sologne Boris' letter gives instructions on how to make contact at Grandbulon so everyone heads back there. Biggles tells Algy to drop them off and head for Salbris to buy food. Algy might also find Bertie and Ginger there. Biggles had earlier instructed them to watch the chateau and they, finding no one there, might have gone to the town. Chapter 10: The Forest Shows Its Teeth Biggles, Marcel and Charles go to plant the signal to summon Boris, which consists of putting a stone by a grave in the forest near the chateau. They hear some shots and then Pindar and Merthe appear, being chased by a wild boar. Pindar is knocked down and gored. Merthe hides up a tree. It could be all over, but von Stalhein turns up, runs to the boar and shoots it dead. He then fetches Prustski and the injuredd Pindar is carried off. Chapter 11: A Visitor by Night They meet Algy on the way back to the chateau. He had been coming back from Salbris with the food when someone ambushed his car and fired a few shots at him. It is now obvious that it must have been these shots which angered the wild boar and sent it after the two men. In the middle of the night, Boris turns up, having entered the chateau by through a secret tunnel. Charles is delighted and introduces his cousin to his new friends. Boris explains that he has had to be careful as he was being hunted desperately. Prutski had in fact shot him in the back recently and he was only just recovering. The man injured by the wild boar he identifies as Pindar. His companion is Conrad Merthe. Both are wanted by the French authorities for war crimes. Chapter 12: Biggles Turns the Trick There is little time to say more as von Stalhein is soon at the door. He has surrounded the place and has taken Bertie and Ginger prisoner. He plans to burn the house down with the occupants inside. But Biggles and co. escape through the secret tunnel Boris used and surprise von Stalhein from the rear. The German agent and his men are forced inside the house and told to stay there or risk the consequences. Chapter 13: Interlude for Discussion Biggles and co. head to Paris to regroup. The next morning Marcel tells them Orleans police had raided the chateau. Von Stalhein had gotten away but Merthe and another man had been arrested. Pindar had made a full confession before dying in hospital. Prutski was found, mysteriously, shot dead in the chateau. It seemed he really did carry out his threat to burn the place down. Near him was a pile of waste paper and broken furniture. It looked like the pile had been set on fire and then stamped out. Boris explains that "a certain gamekeeper" had been acting as caretaker of the chateau and would naturally take steps to ensure the property was not burnt down. Talk shifts to Boris' and Charles' future plans. Boris explains that they are being hunted because they are the sole remaining heirs to the Moldavia throne and the only ones who know the secret of where the crown jewels are hidden. He plans to go into Moldavia to recover the crown jewels. Once they have been retrieved and sold off, his enemies would no longer have a reason to pursue him. He would then have the money to go somewhere and live in peace with Charles. It's a long journey so obviously aircraft is suggested as a means of transport. Boris offers Biggles a half-share in the value of the jewels but Biggles says he has no suitable aircraft. For this, Marcel has the answer: he has a friend who used flying boats to transport vegetables and fruits from Mediterranean ports to France. He was a gambler and would be attracted to a high risk proposition which offered a large reward. Chapter 14: Gamblers' Choice Marcel's friend agree to loan one of his flying boats. Meanwhile Air Commodore Raymond gives his approval for the operation. Biggles and co. fly out to Cyprus to pick up the flying boat, a Nord Noroit. Chapter 15: More Work in the Dark Flying over western Turkey, Biggles and co. approach their destination from the east, over the Black Sea to the Danube delta. Guided by Boris, Biggles puts the aircraft down on a lake near Zogoreb, a hunting lodge used by the royal family. Leaving Algy to guard the plane, the rest go ashore in a dinghy and head for a set of stables. The crown jewels are hidden in a tower there. There are worrying signs. The scenery has changed significantly. Where once there were forests, it has become barren land. Someone has built a sawmill and has felled the trees. Boris still recognises the lie of the land and leads the way to the stables and then freezes. The tower of the stable has gone! Chapter 16: An Old Man Remembers Moving closer, they see that the stables had been burnt down. At one end there is one area more or less intact, the old harness room. Biggles slowly opens the door and halts when a foreign voice calls out from inside. Nerves are taut but all comes well. It is Karol Levescu, an old family retainer who helped the royal family hide the jewels. He had later taken a job at the sawmill to remain close to the hiding place. When the authorities wanted to pull down the stables, he had moved the jewels, hiding them underwater on the shore of the lake near. But Karol also has worrying news. A few days ago, many soldiers moved into the area. Some military boats had also started to patrol the lake. One boat could be heard approaching. It will soon see Bertie in his dinghy or Algy waiting in the plane. Biggles sends the others to fetch the jewels. He goes to Bertie and they paddle the dinghy away from the sawmill towards the hiding place to pick up the others. There's still the need to warn Algy. Bertie offers to swim across to the plane. It's crazy but its the only way. Biggles takes the dinghy and the others pile on board. They hear some people walking along the lakeshore conversing. It's a familiar voice. Von Stalhein! Any unknown aircraft has been spotted coming this way and Biggles should not be underestimated. As always, the local commander with him is more confident that he ought to be. Chapter 17: Between Two Fires The patrol boat spots Algy's plane and he is obliged to take off but Biggles knows he will be back. They paddle the dinghy out into the lake and signal to him. The plane turns and puts down near them. By this time the patrol boat has also spotted them and is charging up but they get on board the aircraft and managed to take off and get away safely. The jewels are sold at a well-attended auction with buyers from all over the world. Even von Stalhein is spotted among the spectators! The proceeds are divided as agreed leaving Boris and Charles enough to retire in peace to Australia. Category:Plot summaries